Mists of War - DM Downrightamazed

Game Master downrightamazed

PF, I'm thinking if you could tweak your build to be an Arcane Archer, we could keep all your fluff the same and have you accompanying the party on your way to the Empire of Mists to seek your family.

Squeeks, The Inheritor had a direct hand in ordering Sir Justahl to protect Cassandra, and I'm thinking she could assign you as Cassandra's protector and sort of mother figure to protect the young girl, and all this could be a first step towards your redemption. Mechanics-wise a cleric of some sort with good ranged attack qualities would be good.

Understand neither of you needs to acceed to this, I'm just asking to see if you'd prefer one or the other, or if you'd rather start a new adventure than join an existing one, etc. It's all good either way. :-) Let me know what you both think.

As to people or object, see will always choose people. An object has an inherent beauty that should be admired, but people have the ability for their beauty to grow and mature, and that beauty can go on to create even greater forms of beauty, be it song, painting, or children.

As to the bigger world, she is well read. Not sure of how much cross-cultural traffic there is, but you state there is a fair bit of trade. I considered the possibility of her even having either gone to or at least visited Stormfare. Even to the point that she may have returned to Empire of Mists as an expert to help the University acquire unique items. That can definitely fit into the background if the story needs to move beyond the Empire of the Mists.

So in THIS game, I'm thinking your Xorn would be the Emperor's hand in a search mission, the nature of which will be revealed in-game. Like I said, I'm thinking you ended up befriending him, and your time spent in monasteries and churches and caves and nature seeking answers and enlightenment makes you a favorite adviser, plus your terrifying appearance would give the emperor an upper hand whenever he would bring you to the negotiating table, for a variety of reasons. A Xorn wouldn't be swayed by someone who is pretty, for example, or by most material bribes. Etc.

So, mechanics-wise, high WIS and INT, lots of ranks in Knowledge skills and WIS-based skills. I'm almost thinking the Loremaster or Pathfinder-type classes would be cool.

There'd be a bunch of politics and RP, especially at first, so I want to make sure you'd be okay with that. However, given you're proposing a Xorn as a PC, I'm thinking you're not looking for hack-n-slash, necessarily. :-) There WILL be plenty of combat, of course, but I try to balance stuff really well. I want people who can fight AND roleplay.

ANYWAY! I'm kind of writing some of your BG for you and I apologize. I'm just thinking this story hook fits well with your fluff as it stands, so I wanted to see what you thought. Lemme know. :-)

Archivist sounds good. And yeah, in the end it's your call, obviously. If you want nothing to do with this idea and want to be a free agent that is also fine. :-)

Also, if you're okay with it, I'd like to say that maybe Tokine has never been further east than Maho or Dambulla, but has spoken at great length with representatives from the universities of Lesotho and Stormfare and Izmir who do trade with Lanzhu, and as such would know a fair amount about these places and of course be interested in them.

What do you think?

A daughter, but not the eldest of the clan, one of the younger, actually, is a child of inner turmoil. There is SOMETHING in her blood manifesting, pulling her in a direction different from most of her family. The sages of the family, noting the birthmark of X Dragon upon her, has noted her as not a child of prophecy... but an omen child none the less. The Clan/House took this as a sign that the bloodline was still strong. Thus, the poor character (whose name has not yet been decided upon), was raised forced to learn knowledge, and learn the arts of the family. However, the outdoors and the call of Honor and of Bushido rang strong in the character's heart, and over the years she was able to twist her studies in that direction - to that of a Samurai.

The call of her blood was too much, and eventually the character longed to leave her home, her village and travel elsewhere. Taken once to the capital, the character was amazed and desperately wanted to travel more. After much begging, many promises, and much maneauvering, she was finally granted her wish, though in an official capacity as an Ambassador of the House, and a Protector/Guard at the disposal of the Empire - should the Empire find it willing to accept her.

And that is where the character is, trying to prove her worth to the Empire, to prove her honor and her skill. The best way to do that, is on errands for other Houses, other notable merchants, and even the Empire itself. Making a name for oneself is a good political move, after all.

Glad to be aboard!

Re: Cyra's character. That would be cool. I was thinking she is going to be assigned as a guard on this mission and of course then you would go along with.

What's her character's name, BTW? Can't remember if I've seen it yet, and if I have, where I've seen it. She have a profile yet?

Devastating charge (combat)
You put a lot of power behind your blows when you run into combat.

Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +1.

Benefits: When you are not mounted and you use the charge action, a successful attack deals an additional 2d4 points of damage. If you are using a 2-handed weapon, or a 1-handed weapon in 2 hands, you instead deal an additional, 3d4 points of damage.

The name is at least for the moment Rose suspect to change though.

I'll let you decide what she brought back, but I like the idea of Tokine finding an odd sect of rich dwarven aesthetes devoted to the pursuit of beauty, and of those same dwarves being utterly smitten with Tokine, especially seeing as she is an actual priestess of Shelyn and they're basically punters.

So if you want to come up with some fluff around what items you might have found and brought back and relationships you might have forged that would impress the Emperor, go for it. I'll also grant a permanent +2 on K(Local) checks as regards those two cities and the area immediately around them.

(Oh, and yes, you're right; things will begin in the capitol city of Lanzhu.)

The one thing I am going to recommend you have in the stash of things you brought back, and maybe you told the Emperor about it and maybe you didn't, is an amazing painting of immense quality, the colors and style of which you have never encountered. It is about 2' wide by 1' tall, not very large, but the dyes and pigments are exquisitely radiant and have some kind of arcane energy about them that makes the colors seem to come alive. The subject of the painting is a beautiful white boat, and on that boat are figures clad in distinct, vibrant colors; some are entirely in emerald and celadon, others all midnight blue, others crimson and ruby. All are tall and very slim, even moreso than elves. Their boat sails on pitch-black waters and above them all floats a single figure, similarly tall and slim, but clad in purest white.

1). I posted under Fredrich Mustenberg earlier. He would be a western Polearm mercenary fighter, who came to this land as a guard for a merchant caravan...fell in love with the culture...or a beauty, and decided to stay. Kind of a fish out of water trying to fit his culture into where he lives. He's done except for changing some items, and finishing the backstory as he was in another campaign. If you've got too many melee fighters that might not be the best choice however.

2). Second concept is a Psionic Character. I have Psionics Unleashed from Dreamscarred Press, which does the standard 3.5 Psionic classes for Pathfinder. I had imagined a immensely fat 1/2 Giant Psion, who is a very greedy, and manipulative merchant. His main item would be either a flying device of some-kind, or a coach, as traveling is not easy for him at his weight. Might be fun to figure out how he gets around and adapts to his immense size using Psionics and magic.

3). This concept is not as well developed, but I'd imagined a Elemental Sorcerer (Either Water or Air) who appears as a little old man...(But is actually a changeling...from Eberron, or doppleganger). His personality is aggravating, always cracking jokes, singing, or making up names, but he's really just trying to fit in, and is a bit alien. His personality quirk is that he loves to eat...everything and anything...As a matter of fact he is posing as a chef to some noble that is exploring the land looking for exotic foods.

Like I said these are rough concepts, and I'm more than willing to entertain any suggestions, or fill any holes in the troope.

I had an extra language I needed to pick up, sounds like Dwarven will do.

I will have it that she ministered to this group of Dwarves as she explored the area. Even to the point of building a shrine and developing some acolytes. The Dwarves honored Shelyn by keeping the purist gems, and trading the rest. As she built trust, Tokine would have a few dwarves lead her to ruins in the hills above. They did not fully understand her desire, but tolerated it as they liked to please her, and she did not impose on them too much.

Then came the day the Dwarves opened a passage to a new cavern. They were disappointed as the cavern was free of gems, but it did contain old ruins from surface dwelling people. Tokine was given permission to explore. It was in a vault carved into the cavern wall that she came across the painting. She knew right away she had something special. She spent enough time to ensure nothing else like it was in the vicinity. Then made her way to the Dwarves to tell them she must return to her Temple.

With a collection of artifacts she found, the painting,and a rainbow of unique gems gifted to the Temple, she set out for Lanzhu. She brought one of the most gifted acolytes with her, that she might learn at the temple and share her gem crafting skills before returning to her people to share what she had learned as well.

Her return to the Temple caused a furor as many were amazed by the painting. Her status rose further when the Emperor requested a private showing.

I am going to have Tokine gain her spells in the morning by spending an hour in meditation painting either calligraphy or landscapes. Often she finds herself trying to emulate the small painting. Thanks for the hook!

Thoughts?

Points that make the character interesting:
He needs to struggle with being 'out of time'.
He need to struggle with his newfound powers, the are something he fears.
He needs to be wracked with guilt, and atone for his misdeeds thirty years ago.
He needs to wrestle with his inner darkness (the bloodline that's the source of his powers).

Perhaps the Magus skills (and the Arcane Archer skills) are something of a lost art in the current day, but my character can bring them forward? With that in mind, he's probably been asleep longer than thirty years. But being a half elf would mean most of his family should still be alive (yay longevity).

Hit points first: 5d8 ⇒ (5, 7, 5, 4, 8) = 29

KEPHNIEL THE DAMNED CR 5
Female Hellbred Cleric of Iomedae 6
NG Medium Outsider (Native)
Init +4; Senses Darkvision (60 feet); Perception +4

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DEFENSE
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AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 17. . (+6 armor, +4 Dex, +1 deflection)
hp 49 (6d8+20)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +11

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OFFENSE
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Spd 30 ft.
Melee Silver Dagger, Masterwork +5 (1d4-1/19-20/x2)
Ranged +1 Crossbow, Light +9 (1d8+1/19-20/x2)
Spell-Like Abilities Touch of Good (7/day), Touch of Law (7/day)
Cleric Spells Known (CL 6, 4 melee touch, 8 ranged touch):
3 (3/day) Magic Circle against Evil
2 (4/day) Align Weapon
1 (4/day) Divine Favor

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STATISTICS
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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 9, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 19
Feats Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload: Crossbow, Light, Rapid Shot
Traits Birthmark, Skeptic
Skills Acrobatics +3, Escape Artist +3, Fly +3, Knowledge: Religion +5, Knowledge: The Planes +4, Linguistics +3, Ride +3, Spellcraft +8, Stealth +3, Swim -1
Languages Common, Infernal
SQ Archon, Aura (Ex), Channel Positive Energy 3d6 (4/day) (DC 14) (Su), Cleric Domain: Good, Spontaneous Casting
Combat Gear +1 Crossbow, Light, Silver Dagger, Masterwork, Mithral Agile Breastplate; Other Gear Bit and bridle, Boots of the Mire, Cloak of Resistance, +2, Handy Haversack, Holy symbol, silver: Iomedae, Magnet, Ring of Protection, +1, Rope, silk (50 ft.) (2), Heavy Horse (Combat Trained), Saddle (Military), Saddlebags (empty), Weapon Blanch, Adamantine (3), Weapon Blanch, Cold Iron (3), Weapon Blanch, Silver (3)

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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Archon Associated Domain: Law
Aura (Ex) The Cleric has an aura corresponding to his deity's alignment.
Birthmark +2 save vs. charm & compulsion
Channel Positive Energy 3d6 (4/day) (DC 14) (Su) A good cleric can channel positive energy to heal the living and injure the undead; an evil cleric can channel negative energy to injure the living and heal the undead.
Cleric Domain: Good Granted Powers: You have pledged your life and soul to goodness and purity.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Rapid Reload: Crossbow, Light You can reload fast with one type of Crossbow.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Skeptic +2 save vs. illusion.
Spontaneous Casting The Cleric can convert stored spells into Cure or Inflict spells.
Touch of Good (7/day) (Sp) Grant +3 to skill checks, ability checks and saving throws for 1r.
Touch of Law (7/day) (Sp) A d20 roll becomes 11.